KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Jordy Nelson, the honorary pace car driver for Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 5-hour ENERGY 400, said he was having a ball hanging out with the stars of racing at Kansas Speedway.

But the former Kansas State and current Green Bay Packers wide receiver said a second career in racing is definitely not an option.

“It's great to be here, it's an honor to be here, and I've enjoyed every minute of it so far,” Nelson said. “This morning I took part in the Richard Petty Driving Experience and was able to do a ride-along first for a couple of laps, and then I actually got to drive eight or nine laps in the car.

“(The instructor) was estimating that I got up to 150, 155 miles per hour in the backstretch. It's something I was glad I don't do for a living, and obviously it shows what these drivers are capable of doing, driving that fast with all the other guys around them.”

Nelson met several of the Sprint Cup stars, including Wisconsin natives and Packer fans Matt Kenseth and Paul Menard. Nelson also got a quick primer for his duties as the pace car driver, so Saturday was a day Nelson said he won't forget.

“I've been to some basketball games and sat in courtside seats and got to see Dwight Howard up close, which was very impressive,” Nelson said. “But to be able to drive a race car and lead the drivers for the first couple of laps at the start of the race, to me, this is definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done.”

Nelson, who is getting ready for his seventh season with the Packers, was hanging out at Kansas Speedway while the NFL completed its 2014 draft.

Nelson, a second-round pick (36th overall) in 2008, said the draft always brings back good memories for him.

“My draft-day experience was amazing,” he said. “I was just back home hanging out at my parents' family restaurant and surrounded by a lot of friends and family and didn't know what was going to happen. When Green Bay called it was a little surprising because I hadn't had much of a conversation with them, and to be honest with you they probably weren't on the short list of places I thought I'd go.

“So that was fun, and I've enjoyed six years of it, which I cannot believe I'm already going into my seventh. It's been a perfect fit for myself, my wife (Emily), and my son (Royal) is now 4 years old and he knows Green Bay, that's all he knows. (It's) very similar to Manhattan, where K-State is, and where I grew up, and we couldn't ask for a better spot for us.”

Royal accompanied his dad to the track Saturday and was soaking up the atmosphere.

“He's a huge fan of the movie, “Cars,” he loved it,” Nelson said. “He's got his Lightning McQueen shirt on and he's enjoyed seeing everything. We had to go find a couple of red cars and act they're Lightning McQueen.

“I don't know if he'll remember it, but we'll have some pictures for him.”